"Time for the Old Reliable."
Lyra worried opens up her suit and jumps down Lyra Anna Fitzroy street ware here grabbing her backpack, she orders the Suit to 'protect' before heading in.
Arlo steps into the ruined box and swings at the one darting shadow, hitting it only once, the Arlo sword biting it's strange substance as the thing darts out
Snobarny: "Now the trick is manipulating the spell to keep them here long enough to place in a stasis field ... or something... we can safely contact our Organization since we've broken up to cells"
Lyra sees it get past Arlo
"SMEG!"
Lyra had slowed and was at the door giving cover with her trusty Auto shotgun now was the time to let rip.
A boom rings out as Lyra shoots at it.
While the enemies are busy with Arlo and Lyra, Terexaltherin looks over them, trying to guess what sort of creature they are and where they could be from.
He also tries to read one of their minds, to see if he can pick up any hints as to their orders or superiors.
Lyra sends to her mech
"Stop it"
The Mech moves,
Azzim nodded to Snobarny, "Yes some sort of modified binding circle ritual perhaps. Terex do you agree? Probably won't last all that long but this is about buying time. I have sufficient salt to form a binding circle, maybe we'll just have to improvise."
Azzim was aware of various binding rituals but these were usually meant to ensnare a planar entity and cast before summoning...
Azzim started pouring a thin ring of salt around the trapped entries from a sack he kept in an extra planar space, chanting strange spidery words as he did so.
Terexaltherin will help out with it.
The mech dispatches the third shadow, which falls into sort of gritty dust.
While Arlo and Lyra keep watch, Azzim and Terex, aided by Snobarny, spend 30 seconding modifying the spells on the two shadows in a way they think will hold for at least a couple hours... and leaves them both helpless yet transportable by teleportation or otherwise.
With that done, you gaze around the Mirsharnian Market. The streets are mostly dark and quiet though occasionally a torch or were-light appears in a window and the muttering of a bargain can be heard in the distance... Snobarny sends ::Where now? Back to Lyra's house or to Livonia's villa? This hideaway is certainly burned and we need a safe location for our interrogation...
I'm not sure I like either of those ideas. Let's see, where else do we have some more disposable safehouses...
Terexaltherin thinks through his knowledge of Organization assets as well as just possibilities the group could make do with for a couple hours on their own, maybe even a quick trip to another plane.
"Not our home, sorry, its the office or some other place"
She sends to Terexaltherin
So, Terex remembers a deserted dance-hall in the Azure District, that The Organization scouted a while back. After a short discussion, the party teleports there along with the two now frozen shadows and finds a large dressing room on the side of the silent, mirrored-walled main ballroom... Dust covers everything but can be removed with the smallest magic...
Snobarny says, "Now things get interesting... Can we unfreeze them enough to interrogate? Are there psionics who can riffle these diabolical minds? Perhaps some magic?" Belying his mild appearance, the were-dog looks eager to start...
What, do you think we're some kind of amateurs, that we'd bind them without a way to interrogate them efficiently? Terexaltherin asks rhetorically. The side-content of his telepathy makes it clear he's joking around. ...Okay actually we're pretty much making it up as we go along, but we should be able to manage something, right Azzim?
Let's see... if we could tunnel my telepathy through the stasis... I could maybe connect to a mind and *just* a mind, we could unfreeze that part... let's give it a try!
Azzim struck a note of caution "If we've caught what we think we've caught then even mental contact could be risky. Still its likely our best option, I doubt magics such as Zone of Truth or an inquisitor's Interrogation spell would phase it. Still there are things I can try to stack the cards in our favor."
Azzim invoked a simple blessing on Terex that ought to shield him from any attempt at possession. .
In addition he thought of whether additional security protocols where required.
When Terex was ready, Azzim made a strange gesture as he looked at Terex as he attempted to manipulate the fates through sheer force of will.
Though focus and concentration, protected by Azzim's spells, Terex is able to establish communication through the stasis field in about half an hour. In reply to an initial inquiry, he hears back "Greetings friend. We seem to have experienced a bit of misunderstanding but hopefully we can rectify this. Our intentions were actually quite benevolent in following you. We believe your friend "GIFT" is in trouble and we share a mutual interest in saving her. That item you carry is the key. With a bit of examination, we could determine how to proceed..."
Snobarny comments, "I think we mostly want to know how much they know so we can rearrange our operations to dodge their snooping. Perhaps we can trick more information of them but it is an extremely dangerous game..."
"Yes, that's worth trying Snobarny. As for its claim, I think Gift is more than big enough and bad enough to look after herself now. Still later I will attempt a divination to see if there is any truth to this..." replied Azzim.
To Terex he suggested, "Maybe play along with it, see what else it will reveal?"
Lyra orders her mech back home to the hanger. And follows the others.
Once the interaction starts stands to one side keeping an eye out with her weapon ready.
Yeah, I was thinking of playing along for a bit, Terexaltherin replies to the rest of the team. Let's see what I can get out of them.
He returns his thoughts to the captive being. Oh no! What's going on with Gift? And how could anything I have help?
She held her tongue to herself as they talk of Gift, but she like the others does not believe they are telling the truth but why. Gift had chosen her path, but how did they know about her? that was the questions.
The entities seem to chuckle, "This much we give you for free, anything more you will have to bargain for. What can you offer?"